Free-form spatial 3-D printing using part levitation

ABSTRACT

A part is fabricated by an additive manufacturing process while levitating in space. Constituent features of the part are formed by 3-D printing. A part levitation system allows the spatial orientation of the part to be manipulated relative to one or more print heads.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. Field

The present disclosure generally relates to additive manufacturingprocesses, and deals more particularly with a method and apparatus for3-D printing a part in free space using part levitation.

2. Background

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a process that creates physical partsdirectly from a 3-D (three dimensional) CAD (computer aided design) fileusing computer controlled additive fabrication techniques. Common AMtechniques, sometimes also referred to as 3-D manufacturing, includestereolithography (SLA), fused deposition modeling (FDM), selectivelaser sintering (SLS) and three dimensional printing (3-DP), to nameonly a few. Each of these processes builds a three dimensional solidpart, layer-by-layer, by locally fusing or curing building materialsthat may be in powder or liquid form.

Each of the AM processes mentioned above employs a “bottoms-up” buildingmethod in which the part is built layer-by-layer on a supportingplatform that moves down as the individual layers are formed. A singleprint head is moved around the platform to form each of the layers. Insome cases, it is necessary to build the part on support materials whichmust be later removed from the part. The need for a platform and supportmaterials to stabilize the part limits the geometry and/or features of apart that can be fabricated. Moreover, the use of a single print head toform features of each layer renders the fabrication process relativelyslow.

Accordingly, there is a need for an AM method and apparatus thateliminates the need for a platform and/or support materials to stabilizethe part during the fabrication process, and which removes limitationson the types of features that can be formed, allowing full body 3-Dprinting of complex parts. There is also a need for a method andapparatus of the type mentioned above which increases the speed of thefabrication process.

SUMMARY

The disclosed embodiments provide an additive manufacturing method andapparatus for free-form fabrication of three-dimensional parts. The partis levitated in space and can be moved and/or rotated to any angle inorder to form desired features at any location on the part without theneed for support structures to stabilize the part. Multiple print headsmay be employed to simultaneously print features of the part, therebyincreasing fabrication speed.

According to one disclosed embodiment, an additive fabrication method isprovided. A feature of a part is formed by printing material into space.The feature may be formed by printing a nugget of material into spaceand then printing additional material onto the nugget. The part islevitated and its spatial orientation is changed while levitating.Alternatively, an object forming a base or starting point may be placedin space and levitated, following which material may be printed onto theobject. Another feature of the part is formed by printing material intospace. The steps of changing the spatial orientation of the part andprinting material into the space are repeated until an entire part isformed. Printing material into space is performed by jetting orextruding the material into space. The printing may be performed by aplurality of print heads located at different positions around thespace. Levitating the part may be performed by acoustic levitation ormagnetic levitation. In one variation, magnetic levitation is performedby super-cooling the part, and subjecting the part to a magnetic fieldthat produces a magnetic force repelling the part. Levitation of thepart is achieved by applying a levitating force to the part which issubstantially equal to a gravitational force acting on the part, andchanging the spatial orientation of the part is performed altering thelevitating force. Printing material into space is performed fromdifferent directions by multiple print heads. The method may furthercomprise changing the spatial orientation of the print heads relative tothe part by moving the print heads relative to the part.

According to another disclosed embodiment, an additive fabricationmethod is provided, comprising forming differing constituent features ofa part by depositing a material into space, levitating the constituentfeatures of the part while the material is being deposited into space,and spatially manipulating the constituent features of the part.Depositing material into space is performed by a plurality of printheads, and levitating the part may be performed by magnetic levitation.In one variation, the magnetic levitation is performed by supercoolingthe part until the part becomes a superconductor, and subjecting thepart to a magnetic field producing a magnetic force that issubstantially equal to gravitational force acting on the part. Inanother variation, levitation is achieved by producing an acousticstanding wave pattern having a node exhibiting a sound pressure forcesubstantially equal to gravitational force, and trapping the part withinthe node. The method may further include sensing a position of the partin the space, and manipulating the part based on the sensed position ofthe part. The method may also include stabilizing the part within thespace. The magnetic levitation may be accomplished by placing a magnetbeneath the part within the space, and generating a repulsive forcebetween the part and the magnetic that is substantially equal to agravitational force acting on the part.

According to still another disclosed embodiment, apparatus is providedfor additive fabrication of a part. The apparatus comprises at least oneprint head for depositing a material into a space to form features ofthe part, and a levitation system for levitating the part in the spaceas the features are being formed by the print head. The apparatus mayalso comprise a plurality of print heads located around the space, eachof the heads being capable of depositing material into the space to formfeatures of the part, and

a displacement system coupled with each of the print heads fordisplacing each of the print heads relative to the part. The levitationsystem includes at least one magnet for generating a magnetic forcesubstantially equal to a gravitational force acting on the part. Thelevitation system may also include at least one acoustic radiator forradiating a sound wave of alternating frequency, and an acousticreflector positioned to reflect the sound wave. The acoustic radiatorand the acoustic reflector are arranged to form a standing wave patternhaving a node in which the part is trapped and levitated. The levitationsystem may further include position sensors for sensing the position ofthe part in the space, and a stabilization system for stabilizinglevitation of the part.

The features, functions, and advantages can be achieved independently invarious embodiments of the present disclosure or may be combined in yetother embodiments in which further details can be seen with reference tothe following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the illustrativeembodiments are set forth in the appended claims. The illustrativeembodiments, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, furtherobjectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by referenceto the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment ofthe present disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an overall block diagram of apparatus forfree-form spatial 3-D printing of a part.

FIGS. 2-7 are diagrammatic illustrations showing sequential 3-D printingfeatures of a part levitated in space.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an isometric view of an apparatus for 3-Dprinting a part while acoustically levitated in space.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of a perspective view of an acoustic radiatorand a reflector, showing the formation of a standing wave pattern havinga node used to acoustically levitate a part.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of a perspective view of an array of acousticradiators and a reflector used for acoustic levitation of a part.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a perspective view of an alternate form ofan apparatus for 3-D printing a part while magnetically levitated inspace.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a flow diagram of a method of 3-D printingand levitating a part in space.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of a flow diagram of an alternativeembodiment of a method of 3-D printing and levitating a part in space.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of a flow diagram of aircraft production andservice methodology.

FIG. 15 is an illustration of a block diagram of an aircraft.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates the overall components of an apparatus 20 for fullbody, free-form 3-D printing and levitating a part in space. Theapparatus 20 broadly comprises a 3-D printer 28 for additive fabricationof a part 22, and a levitation system 30 for levitating and translatingthe part 22 within a coordinate system 26 in free-space 24 during thefabrication process. The levitation system 30 applies a levitationalforce F_(L) to the part 22 which is substantially equal to thegravitational force F_(G) acting on the part 22, resulting in the part22 being suspended or levitated within the space 24.

The 3-D printer 28 may comprise any of a variety of known devices thatbuild the part 22 by selectively placing and adding material 25 to thepart 22. The 3-D printer 28 may include one or more print heads 34located at different positions around the space 24, each of which mayinclude a plurality of nozzles 36 for extruding, propelling or jetting50 material 25 into the space 24.

Depending upon the type of material 25 used to fabricate the part 22,one or more curing devices 42 such as, without limitation, a laser maybe employed to cure and thereby harden the material 25 as the part 22 isbeing fabricated. In one embodiment, a displacement system 35 may beemployed to move the print heads 34 relative to the part 22 within thecoordinate system 26, while in other embodiments the print heads 34 mayremain stationary while the levitation system 30 displaces, rotates orotherwise changes the spatial orientation of the part 22 relative to theprint heads 34 within the coordinate system 26. The spatial orientationof the part 22 may be altered based on the location and orientation ofthe part 22 sensed by the position sensors 38 discussed below. In stillother embodiments, both the print heads 34 and the part 22 may bedisplaced during the additive fabrication process.

The levitation system 30 may be based on any of several types oflevitation technologies, such as, without limitation, acousticlevitation and any of several types of magnetic levitation, such as,without limitation quantum levitation and electrostatic levitation.Other types of levitation systems are possible, depending upon theapplication, and the type of material 25 employed to fabricate the part22. The levitation system 30 may include one or more position sensors 38for sensing the position and attitude of the part 22 in space 24. Also,depending upon the type of levitation technology being employed, thelevitation system 30 may include a stabilization system 40 forstabilizing the part 22 in order to achieve stabilized, accuratepositioning of the part relative to the print heads 34 throughout theprinting process. The stabilization system 40 may provide both staticstability to alleviate small displacements of the part 22 away from astable equilibrium point, as well as dynamic stabilization in order todampen out any vibration-like motion of the part 22 that may occur.

The apparatus 20 further includes one or more controllers 32 such asspecial-purpose or general purpose programmed computer that controloperation of the 3-D printer(s) 28, the levitation system 30 and thecuring device 42. The controller 32 has access to STL(stereolithography) files 44, one or more build programs and translationcontrol programs 48. The part 22 is defined by one or more 3-D CAD(computer aided design) files 45 that are converted to STL files 44. TheSTL files 44 describe the surface geometry of the part 22 in a programlanguage that allows the part 22 to be fabricated by the 3-D printer 28.The build programs 46 are used by the controller 32 to control operationof the 3-D printer 28 based on the STL files 44. The translation controlprograms 48 are used by the controller 32 to control translation(movement and/or rotation) of the part 22 using the levitation system30.

Attention is now directed to FIGS. 2-7 which show several sequentialsteps used to build a typical part 22. As shown in FIG. 2, in oneembodiment, a 3-D printer head 34 jets 50 material 25 into a location inspace 24, forming an initial nugget 27 that is captured and held inequilibrium within space 24 by the levitation system 30 (FIG. 1).Additional material 25 may then jetted 50 onto and incrementally addedto the nugget 27 until a desired feature 52 of the part 22, or a portionof the feature 52, is formed. One or more non-contact position sensors38 (FIG. 1) may be used to determine the exact location where thematerial 25 has been deposited within the space 24.

The material 25, including the initial nugget 27, forming the feature 52is levitated in space 24 by a levitation force F_(L) that issubstantially equal to the force of gravity F_(G) acting on the material25 that forms the feature 52. As the weight of the part 22 increases dueto material 25 being incrementally added, the stabilization system 30adjusts the levitation force F_(L) in real time to compensate for theincreases in part weight, thereby maintaining a desired position of thepart 22 in space 24 throughout the printing process.

In the embodiment discussed immediately above, the starting point forthe additive build process is the nugget 27 which forms an initial baseonto which additional material 25 is applied. In other embodiments,however, the starting point for the additive build process may compriseany suitable pre-formed particle, object or physical feature that isplaced in the space 24 and then levitated, forming an initial base ontowhich material 25 is printed by the print heads 34.

In FIG. 3, another print head 34 a jets 50 material 25 into space 24 ata location that forms part of another feature 52 a of the part 22 thatis contiguous to the first feature 52. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, thelevitation system 30 (FIG. 1) rotates 54 the partially formed part 22into a desired position in space 24 in preparation for adding additionalmaterial 25 to form further features of the part 22. Again, positionsensors 38 determine the precise location and orientation of the part 22in space 24 and the feed this position information to the controller 32for use in controlling the operation of the print heads 34 and thelevitation system 30. Referring to FIG. 5, with the partially formedpart 22 having been rotated 54 as shown in FIG. 4, another print head 34b jets 50 material 25 onto the partially formed part 22 to form stillanother feature 52 b.

As shown in FIG. 6, the partially formed part 22 is again rotated 56 toa desired position in space 24 in preparation for adding additionalmaterial 25 to the partially formed part 22. Then, as shown in FIG. 7,two of the print heads 34, 34 a jet 50 additional material 25 fromdiffering directions, either simultaneously or sequentially, to formstill another feature 52 c of the part 22. In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 2-7, three print heads 34, 34 a, 34 b are employed, however inother embodiments more than three or as few as one print head 34 may beemployed to jet 50 material 25 into space 24 and incrementally formvarious features of the part 22.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-7, the levitation system 30 isemployed to translate the partially formed part 22 relative to the printheads 34, 34 a, however in other embodiments, the part 22 may remainsubstantially stationary, levitated in space 24, while the print heads34, 34 a, 34 b are translated relative to the part 22. In still otherembodiments, both the part 22 and the print heads 34, 34 a may betranslated in order to achieve desired orientations of the part 22relative to the print heads 34, 34 a.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-7, the entire part 22 is printed byincrementally adding material 25 to an initial nugget 27 of material 25that is printed in space 24. In other embodiments however, the part 22may be printed by printing two or more nuggets 27 at separated locationsin the space 24, and then incrementally adding material 25 to each ofthe nuggets 27 according to part build programs (FIG. 1), which specifythe sequence in which the features 52 of the part 22 are to be printed.The portions of the part 22 that are printed at separated locations inspace 24 and originate from differing nuggets 27 are combined into thepart 22 as additional material 25 is added that joins the portionstogether into the various features of the part 22. In still otherembodiments, it may be possible to place and levitate a component, suchas, for example and without limitation, a shaft (not shown), of the part22 in space 24, and then form additional features 52 of the part 22 byprinting material 25 onto the component.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of the apparatus that employs multipleprint heads 34, and an acoustic-type levitation system 30 for levitatinga part 22 during the 3-D printing process. The use of an acoustic typelevitation system 30 may be desirable in some applications because itsability to levitate objects is not dependent upon the type of materialfrom which the object is formed. In this illustrative embodiment, a setof six print heads 34 are arranged at different positions along the X, Yand Z axes to jet 50 material 25 from six different directions (left,right, front, back, top and bottom) into space 24 in order tosequentially or simultaneously form differing portions of a part 22,which in the illustrated example is a simple gear. More or less than sixprint heads 34 may be employed and may be positioned at any desiredlocation surrounding the space 24 within which the part 22 is levitated.Each of the print heads 34 may be of the type previously describedhaving multiple nozzles 36 (FIG. 1) which jet, propel or extrudematerial 25 into the space 24. The material 25 may comprise a liquidmetal which is magnetic or diamagnetic, or any suitable polymer.

The acoustic levitation system 30 comprises one or more pairs ofacoustic radiators 58 and acoustic reflectors 60. The radiators 58 andreflectors 60 in each pair thereof face each other and are located onopposite side of the space 24 which forms an acoustic chamber withinwhich the part 22 or other object is levitated. Referring to FIG. 9,each of the radiators 58 vibrates at a preselected frequency, emitting avarying acoustic or sound pressure wave 62 (FIGS. 8 and 9) that passesthrough the space 24 and is reflected back from the associated reflector60 as a reflected wave 70 (FIG. 9). The radiated wave 62 and thereflected wave 70 interfere with each other to produce a standing wavepattern defined by one or more nodes 72. The sound pressure force F_(P)produced at node 72 is equal in magnitude to, but opposite in directionto the gravitational force F_(G) exerted on the part 22 at the point inspace 24 where the node 72 occurs, thereby trapping and levitating thepart 22 at the node 72. By changing the amplitude and/or frequencyand/or orientation of the sound pressure wave 62, the node 72 and thusthe part 22 trapped at the node 72, can be made to move and/or rotatewithin the space 24 to any desired location and orientation.

Referring to FIG. 10, each of the radiators 58 may comprise a 2-D array64 of acoustic wave devices such as piezoelectric transducers 66, forgenerating sound waves of varying frequency. Each of the piezoelectrictransducers 66 includes an emitting surface 71 for emitting the varying(e.g. sinusoidal) sound wave 62 (FIG. 8). The piezoelectric transducers66 are controlled by the controller 32 (FIG. 1) and translation controlprogram 48 to selectively generate the radiated sound wave 62 atdiffering locations over the surface of the radiator 58. By changing thelocation on the radiator 58 from which the sound wave 62 emanates, thelocation of the node 72 can be shifted, thereby moving the part 22trapped in the node 72 to a desired location.

By selectively, or co-operatively controlling the various radiators 58located around the part 22 in space 24, the part 22 can be translatedand/or rotated to any desired position relative to one or more of theprint heads 34. In the event that any variations occur in the amplitudeor frequency of the radiated or reflected sound waves 62, 70 that occurwhich cause shifting of the node 72 and undesired displacement of thepart 22, the stabilization system 40 can be actuated in order tostabilize the standing wave pattern and thereby fix the position of thenode 72 and part 22 as material 25 is being printed.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 11 which illustrates anotherembodiment of the apparatus 20 that employs a magnetic-type levitationsystem 30 in which a magnetic force F_(M) is used to counteractgravitational force F_(G) acting upon the part 22. Depending upon theapplication, any of a variety of magnets 74 located beneath the spaced24 may be employed to generate the lift necessary for magneticlevitation, including but not limited to permanent magnets,electromagnets and superconducting magnets. In this example, the printheads 34 jet 50 or extrude 50 material 25 into space 24.

Depending upon the type of magnetic levitation being employed, thematerial 25 may comprise a ferromagnetic, a paramagnetic, or adiamagnetic material. For example, the material 25 may comprise a liquidmetal exhibiting magnetic properties, in which a magnetic field may beinduced. A permanent magnet or an electromagnet 74 generates a firstmagnetic field 76 which is coupled with the part 22. A second magneticfield 78 induced in the part 22 opposes and repels the first magneticfield 76, causing the part 22 to be suspended. The second magnetic field78 may be generated as a result of the part 22 being formed of asuperconducting material or may be generated as a result of anelectrical current induced in the part 22 by the magnet 74.

Where the part 22 is formed of a superconducting material, thelevitation system 30 may comprise a quantum-type levitation system whichis based on the principle that a superconductor in a magnetic field 76will always expel the magnetic field 78 inside of it, causing thesuperconductor to be repelled by the magnetic field 76. Thesuperconducting material may be an element, an inter-metallic alloy or acompound that will conduct electricity without substantial resistancebelow a certain temperature. The part 22, as well as the material 25that is incrementally added to the part 22, may be supercooled to renderit superconductive. The magnetic field 76 may be produced by a permanentmagnet 74 or by an electromagnet 74, as previously described. In thecase of a quantum levitation system, supercooled, superconductingmaterial 25 that is propelled into the space 24 by the print heads 34 islevitated and can be manipulated using the magnet 74 located beneath thespace 24. The superconducting material 25 used to incrementallyfabricate the part 22 remains above the magnet 74, essentially beingpushed away by the strong magnetic field produced by the magnet 74. Therepulsive force F_(M) resulting from the magnetic repulsion between thesuperconducting material 25 and the magnet 74 is substantially equal tothe gravitational force F_(G) exerted upon the part 22.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 12 which broadly illustrates theoverall steps of a method of free-form, 3-D printing of a part 22 whilethe part 22 is levitated in space 24. Beginning at 80, a portion of thepart 22 is formed by printing material 25 into space 24. As previouslydescribed, in some embodiments this printing process may be initiated byjetting 50 an initial nugget 27 of material 25 into space 24, and then,at 82, levitating the nugget 27 in equilibrium until additional material25 is jetted 50 onto and combined with the nugget 27 to form a feature52, or a portion of a feature 52. At step 84, the spatial orientation ofthe part 22 is changed relative to one or more print heads 34 while thepart is levitating. At 86, another portion of the part 22 is formed byprinting additional material into space 24. As shown at 88, the spatialorientation of the part 22 relative to one or more print heads 34 isrepeatedly changed and material is repeatedly printed into space untilthe entire part 22 is formed.

FIG. 13 broadly illustrates the overall steps of an alternate method offree-form, 3-D printing of a part 22 while the part 22 is levitated inspace 24. At 90, differing constituent features of the part 82 areformed by depositing a material 25 into space 24. At 92, the constituentfeatures of the part 22 are levitated while the material 25 is beingdeposited into space 24. At 94, the constituent features of the part 22are spatially manipulated.

Embodiments of the disclosure may find use in a variety of potentialapplications, particularly in the transportation industry, including forexample, aerospace, marine, automotive applications and otherapplication where complex parts may be manufactured using additivefabrication techniques. Thus, referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15,embodiments of the disclosure may be used in the context of an aircraftmanufacturing and service method 96 as shown in FIG. 14 and an aircraft98 as shown in FIG. 15. During pre-production, exemplary method 96 mayinclude specification and design 100 of the aircraft 98 and materialprocurement 102. During production, component and subassemblymanufacturing 104 and system integration 106 of the aircraft 98 takesplace. Thereafter, the aircraft 98 may go through certification anddelivery 108 in order to be placed in service 110. While in service by acustomer, the aircraft 98 is scheduled for routine maintenance andservice 112, which may also include modification, reconfiguration,refurbishment, and so on. The disclosed method and apparatus may be usedto print parts or components used during either of the processes 104 and106, or later, when the aircraft 98 has been placed in service 110, aswell as during maintenance and service 112 of the aircraft 98.

Each of the processes of method 96 may be performed or carried out by asystem integrator, a third party, and/or an operator (e.g., a customer).For the purposes of this description, a system integrator may includewithout limitation any number of aircraft manufacturers and major-systemsubcontractors; a third party may include without limitation any numberof vendors, subcontractors, and suppliers; and an operator may be anairline, leasing company, military entity, service organization, and soon.

As shown in FIG. 15, the aircraft 98 produced by exemplary method 96 mayinclude an airframe 114 with a plurality of systems 116 and an interior118. Examples of high-level systems 116 include one or more of apropulsion system 120, an electrical system 122, a hydraulic system 124and an environmental system 126. Any number of other systems may beincluded. The disclosed method and apparatus may be used to print any ofa variety of parts and components forming part of the airframe 114, theinterior 118 or any of the systems 116. Although an aerospace example isshown, the principles of the disclosure may be applied to otherindustries, such as the marine and automotive industries.

Systems and methods embodied herein may be employed during any one ormore of the stages of the production and service method 96. For example,components or subassemblies corresponding to production process 104 maybe fabricated or manufactured in a manner similar to components orsubassemblies produced while the aircraft 98 is in service. Also, one ormore apparatus embodiments, method embodiments, or a combination thereofmay be utilized during the production stages 104 and 106, for example,by substantially expediting assembly of or reducing the cost of anaircraft 98. Similarly, one or more of apparatus embodiments, methodembodiments, or a combination thereof may be utilized while the aircraft98 is in service, for example and without limitation, to maintenance andservice 112.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of”, when used with a list ofitems, means different combinations of one or more of the listed itemsmay be used and only one of each item in the list may be needed. Forexample, “at least one of item A, item B, and item C” may include,without limitation, item A, item A and item B, or item B. This examplealso may include item A, item B, and item C or item B and item C. Theitem may be a particular object, thing, or a category. In other words,at least one of means any combination items and number of items may beused from the list but not all of the items in the list are therequired.

The description of the different illustrative embodiments has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description, and is notintended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments in the formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art. Further, different illustrativeembodiments may provide different advantages as compared to otherillustrative embodiments. The embodiment or embodiments selected arechosen and described in order to best explain the principles of theembodiments, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinaryskill in the art to understand the disclosure for various embodimentswith various modifications as are suited to the particular usecontemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. An additive fabrication method, comprising:forming a feature of a part by printing material into space; levitatingthe part by magnetic levitation, the magnetic levitation comprisingsuper-cooling the part and subjecting the part to a magnetic field thatproduces a magnetic force repelling the part; changing a spatialorientation of the part while the part is levitating; forming anotherfeature of the part by printing material into the space; and repeatingthe steps of changing the spatial orientation of the part and printingmaterial into the space until an entire part is formed.
 2. The additivefabrication method of claim 1, wherein forming the feature of the partis performed by: printing a nugget of the material into space, andprinting additional material onto the nugget.
 3. The additivefabrication method of claim 1, wherein forming the feature of the partis performed by: placing an object in the space, levitating the object,and printing material onto the object.
 4. The additive fabricationmethod of claim 1, wherein printing material into space is performed bya plurality of print heads located at different positions around thespace.
 5. The additive fabrication method of claim 1, wherein levitatingthe part is performed by acoustic levitation.
 6. The additivefabrication method of claim 1, wherein changing the spatial orientationof the part is performed using a levitation system.
 7. The additivefabrication method of claim 1, wherein: levitating the part is performedby a applying a levitating force to the part which is substantiallyequal to a gravitational force acting on the part, and changing thespatial orientation of the part is performed altering the levitatingforce.
 8. The additive fabrication method of claim 1, wherein printingmaterial into space is performed from different directions by multipleprint heads.
 9. The additive fabrication method of claim 8, furthercomprising: changing a spatial orientation of the print heads relativeto the part by moving the print heads relative to the part.
 10. Anadditive fabrication method, comprising: forming differing constituentfeatures of a part by depositing a material into space; levitating theconstituent features of the part while the material is being depositedinto space by magnetic levitation; and spatially manipulating theconstituent features of the part; wherein the magnetic levitation isperformed by: supercooling the part until the part becomes asuperconductor, and subjecting the part to a magnetic field producing amagnetic force that is substantially equal to a gravitational forceacting on the part.
 11. The additive fabrication method of claim 10,wherein depositing a material into space is performed by a plurality ofprint heads.
 12. The additive fabrication method of claim 10, whereinthe levitating includes: producing an acoustic standing wave patternhaving a node exhibiting a sound pressure force substantially equal to agravitational force, and trapping the part within the node.
 13. Theadditive fabrication method of claim 10, further comprising: sensing aposition of the part in the space; and manipulating the part based onthe sensed position of the part.
 14. The additive fabrication method ofclaim 10, further comprising: stabilizing the part within the space. 15.The additive fabrication method of claim 10, wherein the levitatingincludes: placing a magnet beneath the part within the space, andgenerating a repulsive force between the part and the magnet that issubstantially equal to a gravitational force acting on the part.
 16. Anapparatus for additive fabrication of a part, comprising: at least oneprint head for depositing a material into a space to form features ofthe part; and a levitation system for levitating the part in the spaceas the features are being formed by the print head, wherein thelevitation system comprises magnetic levitation performed bysupercooling the part until the part becomes a superconductor, andsubjecting the part to a magnetic field producing a magnetic force thatis substantially equal to a gravitational force acting on the part. 17.The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: a plurality of printheads located around the space, each of the heads being capable ofdepositing material into the space to form features of the part.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 17, further comprising: a displacement system coupledwith each of the print heads for displacing each of the print headsrelative to the part.
 19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein thelevitation system includes: at least one magnet for generating themagnetic force substantially equal to the gravitational force acting onthe part.
 20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the levitation systemincludes: at least one acoustic radiator for radiating a sound wave ofalternating frequency, and an acoustic reflector positioned to reflectthe sound wave, the acoustic radiator and the acoustic reflectorarranged to form a standing wave pattern having a node in which the partis trapped and levitated.
 21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein thelevitation system includes: position sensors for sensing the position ofthe part in the space, and a stabilization system for stabilizinglevitation of the part.